I received 3 Brugs about 6 years ago. I do not have their names but have questions about cutting them back. They are around 5 feet tall and have not been transplanted but are in very large pots. We over winter them in the basement where temperature normally it stays around 50 degrees during winter. When frost is over we bring them to the covered porch where they stay all summer, blooming once.
I have never cut them. Should I? Will this increase their blooms? Should they go to full sun or stay on the covered patio? Should I repot them? They get watered often as they start to droop when they go a day without water in the high heat of summer and they perk right back up.
I want to take cuttings but also do not want to do it at the wrong time.
Any advice is appreciated.
Kathy
Should my 6 year old Brugs be cut back
Wow, your lucky to have them growing year round. Most of them go dormant in the winter. If you have not cut them back, I would not do it this time of year. Most of us cut them back in the fall with the first frost.
They probably need more sunlight, so maybe move them out to the sun slowly, and see how they do.
If they are in pots, they will need daily watering, sometime twice a day. And don't forget the fertilizer when they are blooming. They love fertilizer.
I know they grow really fast, and if you have had them for 5 years in the pot, it may be time for a bigger pot, or place them in the ground.
What a lot of us do, is move the pot around the yard for a few days, and see how they react to the sun or shade. Maybe you have a place that has morning sun, and afternoon shade?
Good luck and keep us posted.
Thanks Tater- I can't put them in the ground in my zone. I'll wait until fall to do cuttings. We just put them in the basement and overwinter them.
Brugs can be pruned either in the fall, if you plan on having them go dormant and you don't have room for the entire plant indoors, or in the spring from you took the entire plant in for the winter. I prefer pruning mine in the spring since I take all the plants as they are into the greenhouse.Ideally, they should be re-potted or potted up at least once a year if in smaller pots and yearly or every 2 years if they are in a 25 gallon pots. Brug vigor goes down rapidly, if they remain in the same soil for longer periods.
You didn;t mention what size pot your Brugs are in, but after 5 years, it is time to pot up to a larger size pot or to re-pot in the same pot. potting mix or soil breaks down in a few years so it has to be replaced with fresh soil. Soil that has broken down doesn't provide any nutrients and because the size of the particles is smaller, it takes longer for water to drain and oxygen to get to the roots increasing the chances of root rot. Brug root systems grow quickly and take up a lot of room. Freshening the "soil" gives you a chance to cut some of the really big anchor roots and to prune damaged or dead roots. This leaves more room for the real workhorses, the feeder roots to grow.
Since you are removing roots, you will need to cut some of the top off as well to compensate for the root loss. Those could be your new cuttings. To be safe, be sure to sterilize your pruning shears and/or saw before you start on the next plant. If your Brugs are being growing as a standard, tree-like, you need to leave about 2 or 3 sets of "Y"s on each of the main branches above the main trunk and it's original "Y". You can cut off any suckers if you wish or leave them until they put out a "Y" of their own and then cut the branch at soil level. These shoots that come from the ground grow straighter and make great looking standards. They will grow faster if still attached to the mother plant than if you were ot cut them off as little shoots. They will not affect the growth of the mother plant negatively.
If you prefer letting you Brugs grow as a bush, leave 2 or 3 main trunks, each with 2 or 3 sets of "Y"s and remove all the other branches at soil level. Anything you cut off can be used as cuttings.
Brugs need at least morning sun to bloom properly. Depending on how hot the sun is, they may need to be protected from direct sunlight during the afternoon. Humidity also plays a part on how much sun a Brug can tolerate and some are able to withstand more sun than others. It is something that you will have to experiment with to see what works best for your Brugs in your area. Are you feeding them with a complete fertilizer, one that contains all the micro-nutrients? A fertilizer like MiracleGro? Do not feed them a bloom booster fertilizer. Brugs respond negatively to the high phosphates. The leaves will turn yellow and drop off. Brugs are heavy feeders and need fertilizer once or twice a week. Given new soil, and fertilized well, they should reward you with several flushes in a growing season.
Freshly potted Brugs may need to be shaded for a short while until the roots get established. Then move them slowing to their summer location. One that gives them at least several hours of direct sunlight. The only ones that can't handle direct sunlight are Snowbank and Miner's Claim. So much of their leaf surface is without chlorophyll, that the leaves scorch.
Don't be afraid of pruning. Brugs are really forgiving and any mistakes will soon disappear and be covered up by new growth. The cuttings you take now will be mostly woody cuttings which should root much easier than the green ones.
Betty,
This is great info. First I see your point about the dirt. The pots were huge for the brug we first put in them. However, dirt must be changed. I know we did water them with bloom fertilizer and leaves did turn yellow and drop off. Now I know why.
They get watered twice a day some days when it's hot and humid. The tree's are at mom's (Betty) because she loves them and has the perfect covered porch for them to give her some privacy. I will take some pictures of them and post to make sure we're on the same page.
Would good potting soil be the only thing I put in the newly repotted plants or should I add admendments?
We like the tree brugs more than a bush. Going on memory, which isn't so great, they have 2 or 3 main stems coming out of the pot before branching off. They just need something! I can't wait to post the pictures so we can get mom's brugs off and running for a huge flush like she had 3 or 4 years ago.
This tall lady is Versa Peach. This is a brug I have over wintered in an unused bath tub on our 2nd story. It's less than 2 years old.
This is a small Brug that I traded for last fall, not named.
This is Versa Peach - should I be trimming her? These are my bath tub babies.
Leaf tops
I live in Maryland and I believe we are in the same zone. I love brugs and only discovered them maybe three years ago so I'm considered a newbie.
I may be able to help you get them to bloom several times a year instead of just once. They would be very happy if you could plant at least one in the ground ~ they really take off and are beautiful if they are allowed to grow with their roots unrestricted. However, you will want to wait a few more weeks before planting outside since we are having some unusually cold weather right now. What I do is plant some directly in the ground, then in the fall I take lots of cuttings and also keep a few in pots and overwinter them in my garage. If planting them directly in the ground if not an option, you definitely will want to move them into much larger pots when you repot them. Again, I'm new to this so I don't want to give you bad information. What I've been told is you would need to gradually move up to a much larger pot meaning you don't want to move a plant from a 6 inch pot directly into a 25 gallon tub because the roots could rot easily. Therefore, you should gradually keep moving into larger and larger pots (repot into a larger pot, wait for the roots to fill the new pot, then repot and repeat until final size pot is reached). A 10 gallon pot is probably OK but if you asked the plant, it would prefer 25 gallons! It seems whatever size pot I put them in, they eventually outgrow it and want bigger and bigger.
The information you received from Bettydee is wonderful. She and so many other members have been so much help to me I really don't think I would have grown them without all of their help. So, this should summarize it:
Plant in the ground if possible.
10 to 25 gallon pot.
Fertilize two times a week
Keep well watered when actively growing
More sun. If plants are kept well watered, they can take all day direct sun. I'm not sure what a covered porch is exactly but if it's not direct sun, move them into at least morning and early afternoon direct sun
If you do all of the above you should be rewarded with plants that bloom several times during the spring/summer and they should be at their very best in late fall in your area.
Good luck!
P.S. Watch out for the stink bugs. I don't know about you, but we had stink bugs EVERYWHERE especially all over my brugs last summer and they say this year is going to be worse.
Good summary, Lisa.
Kathy, There is no doubt that Brugs will grow faster and larger when planted in the ground. Where you are most Brugs may do well in full sun. If the temperatures get over 85 - 90ºF and the humidity is low, they may need some protection from the hot afternoon sun. Most of the Brugs we grow are hybrids of 4 species. With such a crazy mixed ancestry, they won't all want full day sun, but without any direct sunlight, you won't get many flowers.
Even though Brugs need to be watered as often as once a day or more during their active growing period, they need fast draining potting mix with perlite added at a ratio of 2 parts potting mix to 1 part perlite. I would be leery of using potting soil. It may be too dense and the particles too small to provide adequate aeration. The one drawback with perlite is that it is so light that if you are not careful when watering, the perlite will float to the top.
Pruning is necessary because Brugs bloom on new wood, but before you do, if your Brugs have not bloomed, check this link,
http://cubits.org/Brugmansia/pages/315/
and at my photo (because in JT's photo, the sub-equal leaf is difficult to see.) If the leaves on your Brugs look like the leaves in these photos, then your plants came from above the "Y. If both sides of each leaf on your Brugs are equal, then your Brugs came from below the "Y". It is important to know this before you prune otherwise you may be delaying their blooms.
If your Brugs came from above the "Y", then I would prune thin, weak branches and crossing branches to encourage new stronger growth and new blooms.
If your Brugs came from below the "Y", I wouldn't prune until after the plants have "Y"ed. It's OK, however, to remove a few of the branches if there are a lot of weak ones. Pruning these Brugs means the vegetative growth would have to start over delaying the production of the "Y".
When the root system of a Brug is well established, it will send out new growth from below the soil. That growth is ideal to grow as a tree-like standard because it grows long and straight. It will grow faster if it remains attached to the mother plant until it "Y"s.
Betty,
I read over the link, several times, to clarify I instructions - I still seem somewhat confused. First, the issue of potting soil. You stated: I would be leery of using potting soil. So using fresh potting soil w/perlite is different than using a potting 'mix'? Boy I really sound stupid on that question.
Next, I will get the brugs from mom's basement and take a close look at those. I will report those soon (our frost date is May 10) so I can't take them outside without breaking my back moving them in on chilly nights and back out on the porch. Her porch was a deck and now it has a roof over it - I think someone asked what I meant by covered porch. The sides are not enclosed.
During summer the leaves have drooped even with watering twice a day - having watering until water comes out the bottom of the pot. They would get morning sun but no mid day or afternoon direct sun. They have bloomed but have declined over the years. She gives plant food but probably not enough, or as often as it should.
Since they bloom on new wood, which I'm just learning, I need to cut them back. If I understand right I should take a cutting from above the Y. Is that true?
We have overwintered them in the basement for years because we felt the tree would grow larger and have more blooms by doing so. However that has not been the case. Should we severly prune them near frost and put the cuttings in water and discard the roots?
I know I'm asking silly questions but I want to get this right. Mom so loves these flowers and I've really not been on top if it for her. I feel like I need a diagram with arrows! I'll wait for answers before I decide what to do.
Kathy
Kathy,
We've all asked these questions at one time or another. That's how we learn.
Potting soil vs potting mix — They are usually formulated differently. I have seen formulas for potting soil that actually contain some garden soil — a no-no in a pot. Most potting soils contain sand and other small particles. Most potting mixes contain larger particles. Brugs need a fast draining medium. I suggest you use a potting mix, but even that can retain too much water so the addition of perlite is recommended which helps with aeration because the mix drains better. Use 2 parts potting mix to 1 part perlite.
If your mom's Brugs are getting morning sun, they should be OK with the amount of sunlight they get. The decline is more likely due to them being in the same pot for 6 years without re-potting. Brugs grow very quickly because their roots grow fast as well. They can have a very large root system quickly filling a pot. The very small, easily damaged feeder roots are the ones responsible for the uptake of water and nutrients. The rest of the roots are perennial anchor roots that move those nutrients and water from one place to another. They also help keep the plant upright and in place. As they age, the anchor roots grow in size displacing more and more space in the pot. The feeder roots don't live too long and need to be constantly replaced. They won't grow if there is no room for them. So as the number of feeder roots decline, so does the rest of the plant.
The purpose of re-potting or potting on is to provide room for feeder roots to grow in. Unfortunately, feeder roots grow out of the young anchor roots. Over time the old and very thick anchor roots crowd even them out. Every once in a while the entire root ball needs renewal and it gives you a chance to replace most of the old potting mix. Take the rootball out of the pot and carefully remove all or most of the old potting mix. Cut out the huge anchor roots. Be sure to spray all the cut surface with a fungicide. Trim off any dead or damaged roots. Re-pot in new potting mix making sure you work it into and around the remaining roots so no empty spaces are created. Prune the top being careful to leave 2 or 3 sets of "Y"s above the original "Y" on each of the trunks. This link is to JT's article of making short standards, but I'd like you to notice what the cuttings look like above the "Y" in each of the cuttings. That's what a standard Brug should look like after it has been pruned.
http://cubits.org/Brugmansia/articles/view/458/
The lack of feeder roots is probably the reason your Mom has to water so often
You really didn't say what size pot her Brugs are in, only that they are in very large pots. How large a pot are they in? If the Brugs are in 24 - 30 in pots, you might be able to get away with re-potting every other or every third year instead of every year, but when the plant goes into decline, it is time to re-pot.
If your Mom can't fertilize once or twice a week with a liquid fertilizer, use pelleted fertilizer such as Osmocote. Just make sure it has all the micro-nutrients and use a little bit more than the recommended amount and more often than what is recommended because Brugs require watering more often.
If you have any more questions, don't be afraid to ask.
Veronica
Veronica,
Amazing detail and clear to understand. I will go check out mom's plants and estimate the pot size. I would estimate the pots to be 2 feet tall x 20 inches wide at the top. Just a guess. I'm on to this now. Makes so much sense!!
Thanks and can't wait to check out the brugs and repot. I'll do my first cuttings as well.
Thanks!!!!!
Kathy
You're welcome.
I picked up one of the pots from mom's to see what I had - here are pictures of the 5 year old brug that hasn't been repotted - UNTIL today. Hope you can give advice seeing what I did and what I may not have done. I have 2 more trees the same size. This is Peach but that is all I know - or knew to ask when I received it as a trade back then.
The full tree
Roots after most dirt is taken off
The pot it was in
Roots after washing
More
the stems before cutting
I ran in to take pictures after I potted her back up in the same pot with potting mix and perilite, watered and on my porch. I put the cuttings in water and peroxide combo per the link above.
I made all cuttings above a Y. Some had a Y on the cuttings but were taken from above a Y. Is that right? What a confusion
Kathy
This message was edited Apr 6, 2011 3:24 PM
Kathy,
Please post a photo of the entire plant after you pruned it for comparison. Did you remove any of the large old roots?...damaged roots?
Pruning the top: Did you remove any branches that rubbed together, the thin and the weak ones? Somewhere up above, you mentioned you loved Brugs grown as a standard. You might consider cutting off a few of the larger branches that tend to arch outward leaving 2 - 4 of the straighter trunks. This will encourage the growth of new shoots from below the soil. These are called basal or vegetative shoots. They are the ones to used when you want to grow a one trunk standard because they grow very straight until they produce their first "Y". Then you cut and root these straight shoots. Eventually you get a Brugs that has this form:
http://davesgarden.com/guides/pf/showimage/99813/
The enclosed photo is of my Mom's Dr. Seuss. One plant. One trunk. The fence in the background is 7' tall. Of course it helps that it was grown in the ground for several years — no freezing weather. I grow my in pots. So they don't get as large.
It looks like most of that Brug probably originated from a cutting taken above the "Y". The word Peach refers to the color of the flowers. There is no way to ID it any further. Many of the old Brugs were identified just by color.
That tree is stunning. I'll take pictures of the cut tree in the morning. I probably screwed it up!
I did cut several large roots, all new potting mix and perlite. I will post a picture soon.
Here is the tree after cutting. Let me know if more should be cut out. Fresh potting mix/perlite and well watered.
another view
the base
the tops
Those above are the tree shown at the first few posts. I would like your thoughts - have I cut it enough?
Here is the Versa Peach which I've had since last Spring. Suggestions for this one is helpful too.
another of the newer versa peach
leaf tops of newer versa peach
Kathy,
Keeping in mind that you and your Mom prefer standard shaped Brugs, I would make the cuts marked with a red "X". This removes a few weak branches and one that angles off to the side.
In your third photo marked "the base", there is a fairly straight branch. Cut at its base and rooted, that branch would a very good standard. The thing is I couldn't tell whether it was part of the branch I marked with a green "X". That whole branch goes off at a wide angle and could be removed or left on the mother plant as least for this year. Removing it would redirect the sprouting energy into the remaining and more upright branches. It would also leave room for new basal shoots to come up from the ground. Because their growth is vegetative, given enough room, these basal shoots grow very straight and upright. These are the shoots that make the standards like the ones that Monika produces.
Vegetative basal shoots can be cut off and rooted as soon as the bottom of the shoot matures and looks woody, but if it is left on the mother plant until it "Y"s it grows faster and of course it "Y"s sooner.
Since I can't post multiple photos, I'll start a new post for the versicolor peach
I would recommend making the two cuts marked with red "X"x on this Brug laying the groundwork for a taller multi-trunk tree. Before you re-pot this one, buy three sturdy bamboo or plastic coated metal stakes. You need to train the 3 remaining branches in to a more upright form before the wood gets too inflexible. I meant to indicate a more upright growth when I added the green marks to your photo.
Pot the Versa peach into its new pot. Then drive the 3 stakes next to the 3 remaining branches positioning them close to the base of each branch. Use either the green plastic tape ties or the velcro ties to loosely tie the branches to the stakes. As the branches grow this season, add more ties. Check older ties to make sure they aren't binding or cutting into the branch. Don't use the thin plastic coated wire ties. They will damage the bark.
Have you decided how to deliver the fertilizer they need so the new growth is sturdy and they get it at least once a week? Twice if possible.
I hope this information help. Brugs are fairly forgiving and once the flowers open, no one will be looking at the form of the plant. Have fun.
Betty, you're amazing. And what program allows you to mark on photos like that? I've seen it done on DG several times but didn't know how - please share.
I'll go take the cuttings and post again so you can see the base of the "unnamed". I clearly understand your info on the versa peach about the stakes. I wish I had given more thought to making my brugs better, sooner! There are 2 more at mom's which I can take care of after I manage to get these 2 guys going.
I have the cuttings in water. Will the cuttings I take off of these 2 root? I don't consider myself stupid by any means but that Y thing is confusing. LOL
Kathy - (thanks for your help)
There are a few applications that allow you to mark a photo. PhotoShop is one, but is prohibitively expensive. Our older son gave me the suite for Christmas and PhotoShop is one of the applications. I'm still learning how to use it. The application I used is much simpler and better still, it is freeware. It's called Paintbrush. Simple to use because it is very intuitive.
The cuttings should root especially if the plants are starting to go into their spring growing mode.
Brugmansias exhibit 2 types of growth: vegetative and flowering. I'll explain vegetative first because it is important to understand why you shouldn't interfere with its growth. Initial growth in seedlings, shoots that come up out of the ground and shoots that come off the trunk below the mother plants original "Y". Growth is unbranched and very straight. If you look at the leaves of a Brug going through this phase, they join the stem symmetrically. See the enclosed link and scroll down to leaves. Note the difference between the leaves of the two types of growth on Brugs. The leaf on the left hand side is what you will see on Brugs during this stage.
http://www.abads.org/members/anatomy.htm
This growth is wired into each cultivar and can't be short circuited by pushing with fertilizer or by pinching the tip off. Pinching the tip off will only cause it to start the vegetative cycle all over again. The height of most Brugs when they reach the end of the vegetative cycle is on average between 5' - 7'. A few will be shorter and some can reach 12' before the cycle ends. It's important that the Brug be allowed to grow undisturbed. Cutting or pinching only delays the onset of the "Y".
As the plant nears the end of the vegetative cycle, the newest part of the growing trunk will suddenly send out lots of little branches. Look at my photo. The main stalk is completely covered with little branches. It's not always this dense in all Brugs. This is a signal that the plant is about to end its vegetative cycle and go into the flowering cycle.
The one tip becomes two equal sized branches. This is the beginning of that all important "Y". It's called a "Y" because it looks like a Y. Look at the photo in this link:
http://beeinthecity.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/brugmansia-charlesgrimaldi-newlyindoorsbudded-101808.jpg
For some reason,some cultivars produce 3 equal sized branches. It is still called a "Y". These plants are bushier because of that third branch as each time the plant produces a new "Y", it will send out 3 branches instead of 2. The shape of the leaves change as well. They are attached to the stem asymmetrically. Look at the first link I enclosed to see the difference between vegetative and flowering stage leaves.
Each branch beyond that first "Y" will produce buds and "Y" again with more buds, etc.
Every time the branches "Y", they will produce more buds. This is the importance of "that Y thing". LOL I hope this clarifies things a bit more for you.
Veronica
Ooops! forgot to include the photo.
The picture in your 2nd link above is very clear. It shows the Y and flowers coming from each side. In my versa peach (2nd one) I cut the limbs as you said leaving 2 stalks coming out of the base. One stalk has a Y and the other is straight - this is the one I need to stake. So would the stalk on the left which branches be considered a Y? Or is the new growth that I WILL be seeing Y's? That's probably a silly question but I want to get all these questions out - as this will be a great thread for anyone new to Brugs. Your knowledge is amazing.
I'll take pictures and post to show what I've cut back. You mentioned the question of fertilizer. Should I use basic plant food or use plant food for flowering plants? And I need to do this every week at least twice? I'll make sure I get this done on my plants as well as moms.
I'll be back with pictures.
thanks again!
The best way of telling is to look at the leaves on the plants. Vegetative growth leaves connect to the stem symmetrically and flowering growth leaves connect asymmetically.
As to fertilizer, many people use Miracle Grow (Not the one for acid loving plants) because its relatively cheap, it is applied in liquid form for quick absorption and it has all the micro-nutrients that Brugs need. They do appreciate extra magnesium. So maybe 3 or 4 times during the growing season, I'll add a tablespoon or two to the container with the MG. Don't use the fertilizer for flowering plants. Those fertilizers, often called bloom boosters, contain a high amount of phosphates which Brugs don't need. High levels of phosphates will cause the leaves to yellow and drop off.
You can use any brand of liquid fertilizer or you could use Osmocote, but more frequently than the recommended rate, Just be sure that the numbers listed for nitrogen and potassium are higher than the number listed for the phosphate. Hibiscus fertilizer is formulated in the ideal numbers for Brugs, but it is so much more expensive than the MG that I can't justify using it.
Brugs need to be fertilized at least once a week, but they seem to do best getting fertilizer twice a week. I also recommend leaching unused salts out of the soil so they don't build up. You do this by letting the water run out of the pot for a few minutes when watering. Do this about once a month. Here I'm guessing because I don't keep a tight schedule and I tend to let water run out of the pot for a while any way.
Good timing, just took the pictures. So I can buy magnesium in the plant food section?
Here are the cuttings for the first brug in the square pot
close up of base
close up of tops - what should I do with this one now?
